Platypus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus

Blamed on cats

IUCN status: Near Threatened

EPBC Predator Threat Rating: Not assessed

IUCN claim: “Across its range, the Platypus is also subject to predation by the introduced Red Fox, dogs and cats.”

Studies in support

No studies

Studies not in support

No studies

Is the threat claim evidence-based?

There are no studies linking cats to platypus.

Evidence linking Ornithorhynchus anatinus to cats. Systematic review of evidence for an association between Ornithorhynchus anatinus and cats. Positive studies are in support of the hypothesis that cats contribute to the decline of Ornithorhynchus anatinus, negative studies are not in support. Predation studies include studies documenting hunting or scavenging; baiting studies are associations between poison baiting and threatened mammal abundance where information on predator abundance is not provided; population studies are associations between threatened mammal and predator abundance.
Evidence linking Ornithorhynchus anatinus to cats. Systematic review of evidence for an association between Ornithorhynchus anatinus and cats. Positive studies are in support of the hypothesis that cats contribute to the decline of Ornithorhynchus anatinus, negative studies are not in support. Predation studies include studies documenting hunting or scavenging; baiting studies are associations between poison baiting and threatened mammal abundance where information on predator abundance is not provided; population studies are associations between threatened mammal and predator abundance.

References

Current submission (2023) Scant evidence that introduced predators cause extinctions. Conservation Biology

IUCN Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Accessed June 2023